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AG nixes plans to divert HOPE money
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ATLANTA - Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker says Gov. Sonny Perdue's proposal to use lottery funds to replace general revenue funds for certain educational programs probably violates the state Constitution.

Baker sent a letter on Monday to the governor and legislative leaders stating his position.

He said that when he helped former Gov. Zell Miller pass the lottery and HOPE scholarship programs, the goal was to prevent the Legislature from using lottery funds for other purposes.

He said that to make sure those protections remain in place, provisions were enacted into the Georgia Constitution.

Baker concluded that his analysis strongly suggests that supplanting of general funds would occur if the proposal is enacted.


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